


So Glad I Got to Know You

by marajaderen1



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Weather, Budding Love, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Marching Band, Mild Language, Teen Angst, Tornado, don't know what else to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23513722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marajaderen1/pseuds/marajaderen1
Summary: The story of two high school sweethearts and how their love grew from the halls of Naboo High School, to Maz's library, to college, and back where it all began.Based (loosely) on this prompt from @reylo_prompts on Twitter: "Curious Cat Prompt: "Rey and Ben are classmates at Naboo high school. He's head over heels for her but never got the chance to tell her. They also work together in summer at the public library. One day they get stuck together during a storm.""
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 97





	1. Part 1

Ben watched her through the window into the band room.

It was the last day of school before summer break, and she was practicing. He smiled as he watched her press play and start to move her arms along to the beat. One of her hands flicked down to turn the page in her score, as she continued conducting through the first movement.

“Staring at her through a window doesn’t equate asking her out, you creep.”

Ben jumped slightly in shock when his closest friend, and former co-drum major, appeared beside him.

“What are you doing here, Hux? The bell rang half an hour ago,” he asked, returning his gaze to the band room.

“Forgot to grab a few things. Dude, go ask her out! This is literally your last chance,” Hux encouraged with a pat on Ben’s back before hurrying out to clean his band locker.

Ben took a deep breath, and attempted to rationalize his actions, and not feel like a creep.

He’d liked Rey since she moved here at the start of her sophomore year, his junior year. She’d been in color guard during marching season, and trumpet with him in concert band. She was good, and nearly beat him out of his first chair position, but didn’t. They’d sat next to each other since early November through the end of the school year for the past two years.

They’d grown closer when he helped her with her drum major audition for the following year. _The guard is just too damn dramatic_ , she’d told him when he asked why she didn’t want to be in the guard her senior year. They’d practice in the band room after school, and then occasionally he’d take her home, only after stopping at her favorite coffee shop. He even knew her order by heart. Iced lavender coconut cappuccino, shot of espresso.

_Sounds fancy_ , he’d told her with a laugh the first time she’d ordered it in front of him. He’d ordered a plain black coffee, his go to, no matter what. She’d just laughed and told him she took coffee in all forms, that this was just her favorite combination.

Rey had worked so hard, and ended up head drum major for the following season. Their friend Poe wasn’t pleased to lose the head spot, but no one could deny Rey’s dedication and talent.

Ben was there when she saw the list go up. She’d squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around him excitedly. He’d smiled at her, his hands wrapped around her too. How he’d wanted to kiss her in that moment, but she tore away the second she saw her best friends turn to the corner so she could tell them the exciting news.

He had been so caught up in his thoughts of her, that he hadn’t realized she’d stopped and had seen him through the window. She was waving at him to join her in the room. Ben nodded, and opened the door hesitantly.

“Do you make it a habit of watching me practice?” she asked with a laugh. She closed her score and placed it in her backpack before turning to him.

“Um, no. I’m just, uh, still excited for you,” he managed to get out.

He’d seen her in the hall earlier today, but in the moment he was taking in how cute she looked today. Her hair was tied back into her signature three buns, the look the guard had worn for their outer space themed show her first season here, and she’d never stopped wearing it. She wore a sundress with little stitched sunflowers all over it, and a light sweater to cover her shoulders. _D_ _amn dress codes,_ he noted.

“Are you okay, Ben?” she asked, her smile turning into a frown of concern.

“I’m fine,” he answered, feeling embarrassed. He could feel his cheeks warm as he mustered up the courage to ask. “Hey, um, what are you doing tomorrow night?”

Rey looked up, and closed a single eye as she thought. Her thinking face was adorable, he’d always thought so. She silently cursed herself for her new job.

“I have training for my summer job,” she answered sadly, “But we will have to hang out this summer! I’ll need all the help I can get!”

Rey patted her back pack where she’d just put her score away, and smiled up at him. She was wearing little wedge sandals that added a few inches to her height, but not enough to come even close to his absurdly tall height for an almost eighteen year old.

“You don’t need my help with that, Rey,” he said kindly as she backed towards the door, still smiling at him.

“Well, I'd still like to get together,” she admitted.

With a small wave, and what Ben could perceive as a blush on her cheeks, she left him alone in the band room. She heard her give a hello, and goodbye to someone in the hall, and a goodbye hug. Rey hadn’t hugged him, but she also said she wanted to get together over the summer.

It could’ve been one of those throw away pleasantries, but Ben silently prayed it wasn’t.

* * *

Ben arrived early to his shift at work the following day.

He’d worked at the library each summer of high school. The first summer, he was a part time “apprentice”, too young to legally work, but the older owner, Maz, would pay him to keep the grassy areas around the building mowed, and let him check out as many books as he wanted.

Since then, he’d climbed the ranks, and was now in charge of student workers in the summer. Rey’s friend, and his cousin, Kaydel, had joined him last summer, but Maz said there was a new student hire he needed to train that day. Ben didn’t put it together, but it made sense when he saw Rey walk into the building, super early too, that afternoon.

“Ben?” she asked in surprise when she walked in and saw him behind the desk.

He looked up quickly from his book, recognizing her voice, and the faint hint of her signature body spray.

_Coconut_ , he noted, _her favorite_.

“Hi, Rey,” he greeted, closing his book, “What are you doing here?”

“Um, I’m here to work,” she chuckled nervously. “Kay said that the student worker supervisor would meet me here to train me?”

“Yeah, um, that’s me,” he said, running a hand through his hair nervously.

“Oh,” she replied, and shifted awkwardly on her feet, as her eyes wandered around.

“Have you ever been here before?” he asked, grabbing the training sheets and clipboards before walking around the desk.

“Just for my interview,” she answered, her gaze landing back on him, “Unfortunately, I’m more of an ebook person.”

Ben feigned offense, causing Rey to relax slightly, and laugh. Ben returned her smile as he handed her one of the clipboards.

“I’ll make sure to fix that this summer,” he said.

“I’ll hold you to that promise, Mr. Solo,” she responded, adding his last name with a hint of sarcasm.

“Challenge accepted, Miss Johnson,” Ben responded, matching her tone.

He stuck out his hand for her to shake, which she gladly accepted. They both laughed at the silly deal, and pulled their hands away too quickly for either of their likings.

Ben led her through the checklist of the afternoon/closing shift, that they were working that afternoon. He showed her how to clock in and out, got her employee account set up, and a tour through the many sections of the library. After the tour, he showed her through the website.

“We do have an ebook page on our website,” he explained, “Patrons can log-in and see which ones we have available, and they can download them for two weeks, and can renew up to three times.”

Rey took note of that amenity and nodded. He was so excited to show her the library. She’d assumed the band room and the field were his favorite place, but seeing his eyes light up when he explained the rationality of keeping the Harry Potter novels in the Young Adult section, opposed to the Children’s section, made her heart happy.

While she wished Kaydel had told her that Ben worked here, she was glad at this pleasant surprise. She would’ve applied the previous summer if she’d known he worked here. Her summer at the movie theatre left a sour taste in her mouth when she thought about her previous summer job.

“Any questions?” he asked.

Rey came back to her senses, and glanced down at the list. She shook her head, and handed him the clipboard back once they got back to the front desk.

“Okay, good,” he said. He replaced the boards in their little cubby hole before turning back to her, “I’ll probably start the closing walk through in about an hour. Once we get into the swing of summer, we’ll have more patrons in and out, and events and stuff.”

He looked around at the mostly empty library. There was a young mom with her small kid in the Children’s section, and an older couple reading a different religious fiction novel.

Rey nodded and looked at the book he’d been reading when they started.

“ _Pride and Prejudice_?” she asked, her surprise evident on her face. She’d never read it, even when it was assigned in her English class. She was more of a 'watch the movie and read the Sparknotes' person. So, the story was familiar, she just couldn’t picture Benjamin Solo reading it.

“I’m a classic novel guy,” he admitted. “It’s not my all time favorite, but I do enjoy it from time to time.”

Ben glanced up, and caught her gaze. They exchanged a brief smile, before looking away after a few moments.

“Um, so is there a project I can work on? Till it's time to close.” she asked.

Ben looked around. He'd reshelved everything yesterday with Kaydel, and nothing had been returned today. Absolutely nothing. 

“Not today,” he admitted. He thought for a brief moment, “Well, Miss Johnson,” he began. Rey raised an eyebrow, sensing a diabolical plan forming in his mind. “I know how to kick off our wager from earlier,” he continued. “What’s your favorite genre? Book genre.”

Rey thought for a moment, “I enjoy fantasy, but I’ve been on a modern, young adult kick lately.” She wasn’t ready to admit she’d been re-reading her beloved vampire romance novels lately.

“Have you read _Again, But Better_?” he asked. She shook her head in response. The title didn’t sound familiar at least. “Kaydel read it last summer and wouldn’t shut up about it. Modern romance, technically new adult, but has a hint of some fantasy, apparently.” he explained, leading her towards the young adult section.

Ben found it on the bottom shelf, and placed it into her hands. Rey looked over the simple cover, read the blurb on the back. It looked like something she’d enjoy, but she handed the book back to Ben.

“I’ll find it on my reader,” she told him, a slight smirk forming on her lips.

“Just indulge me,” he asked, giving the book back to her, “Try a physical copy, this once.”

Rey sighed, and looked from the book, and back to him. “Fine,” she conceded, “It’s not like I haven’t read a physical book before. It’s just been a while. And I doubt one physical book is going to change my preference.” He chuckled at her response. “Are you going to read an ebook?” she asked.

Ben shook his head, “Absolutely not!”

“Then why are you making me read a physical book, Mr. Solo?” she exclaimed.

Ben laughed before replying, “Because physical books are just superior. The feel, the smell, and it’s like a trophy once you’re done. You look at it and can feel accomplished.”

“But you can’t read while laying down, and in the dark?” she retorted. He thought about her response, knowing she’d made a small, but valid, point.

“Just trust me, Rey,” he said, still sure his stance was the superior one. Rey rolled her eyes, and bit back a smile, not wanting him to know he had a good chance of winning this little challenge of theirs. “Your project is to go read that. I’ll come find you when it’s time to close,” he said, waving her towards some comfy reading chairs.

Rey rolled her eyes and strolled over to the seats, and curled up in a plush chair and opened the book to begin. She spared a glance up at Ben before starting, to find he was already engrossed in his book. It caused Rey to smile as her eyes returned to the first page and she began to read.

_Later that night..._ “

Rey,” she heard Ben say. She looked up and saw him standing over her, holding one of the free bookmarks from the front desk out to her. She took it sheepishly, and placed it between the pages to mark her spot.

_Page 62_ , she thought. She almost didn’t notice that it was a physical book, she was so invested in the story.

“Closing time,” he said, handing her a tub of disinfecting wipes, “Just hit the tables, chairs, and computers,” he instructed, having done a lot of the closing work out of boredom. He'd let her stay occupied with her book, he'd made a small win, seeing how invested she was in iits pages.

They divided and conquered, each taking a different side of the building. It didn't take them very long, and soon, it was time to clock out. After shutting off all the lights, Rey felt incredibly anxious at the extreme quiet darkness in the building. They walked outside, and somehow, neither of them had noticed it was raining.

“Shit,” Rey groaned. She glanced over at her bike, locked up on the rack.

“Do you want a ride?” Ben offered, following her gaze. “Do you mind?” she asked, slightly embarrassed.

“Of course not. Let me go pull up my truck, and we can put your bike in the back,” he said. Rey watched him jog across the parking lot to his truck, and watched it come to life before pulling around to the front doors where she waited. She unlocked her bike, and wrapped the lock up, shoving it into her bag. Ben hoisted the bike into the bed of his truck, and covered it with a tarp, tying it down quickly. Rey was too busy thinking about it to notice he’d already climbed back into the truck and had pushed the passenger door open for her.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

He smiled, “Don’t mention it.”


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features bad weather, and weather-induced anxiety. If that's something that you aren't comfortable reading, feel free to skip the middle section of this part.

_ Two Weeks Later _

Ben was closing with Kaydel that night at the library. He was thankful that he’d made it this far into the day with only a happy birthday breakfast from his mom, and Kaydel squealing it when he’d shown up for work.

“Okay, before you take me home, I have a surprise,” she exclaimed.

They’d locked the front door, and were walking out to his truck so he could drive her home. Ben rolled his eyes as his cousin climbed into the passenger seat, “I hate surprises, Kay. You know that.”

Kaydel zipped an imaginary zipper across her lips and grinned. Ben stifled a laugh as he started the engine, her eagerness contagious. He started driving, and Kaydel dictated directions around town. Leading him in circles for about twenty minutes when she finally gave him a destination.

“All of this for me to take you to your house?” Ben asked, parking outside his aunt's house.

“Just come on!” she exclaimed, hurrying out of the truck.

Ben followed her from the street, and through the gate that led to the backyard.

“Surprise!” a chorus of voices shouted when he rounded the corner. 

Ben groaned, but couldn’t hold back the smile when he saw his family and friends gathered in this decorated backyard. One familiar face made his pulse quicken. He saw Rey, now joined by Kaydel, standing amongst some of his other friends from school.

His mom and aunt hurried over to him, and greeted him warmly.

“Happy birthday,” his mom said, giving his cheek a gentle pat. He smiled back, and glanced at his stoic father, standing off to the side, drinking a beer.

He walked over, and shook Ben’s hand, “Happy birthday, son.” That was the closest he’d get to a hug in front of anyone with his dad.

“So, Hux was telling us about a female friend of yours, Rey? I think she’s here,” his aunt, Kaydels mom, said looking around. 

“Oh, you’re right, Amilyn,” his mom said, remembering their conversation with Hux, “Said you were working with her now. That you had a little crush on her?”

“That’s not his business, mother,” Ben explained, “And we’re just friends. Rey and I, I mean.”

His mother glanced between Rey, who was smiling over at him, and her son, before giving him a gentle pat on the back. 

“Oh yeah, then why is she blushing to heaven and back?” Amilyn said, following his gaze. 

“I’m gonna kill that ginger,” Ben said, rolling his eyes before walking away from his family to join his friends.

“Isn’t this a good surprise?” Kaydel asked excitedly, giving Ben a big hug.

“You know, I’m no longer regretting pushing you into that mud puddle when we were little, cousin,” he said. Everyone around them chuckled, even Rey, who gave him a small smile as he started to walk towards her.

“Happy birthday, Ben,” Hux said, intercepting Ben's path, “And, uh, sorry about your mom and Amilyn. They’re just good at getting me to talk.” He continued with a smirk.

“I’ll deal with you later, asshole,” Ben told him, pushing past his ginger friend to speak to Rey.

“What did Hux talk to your mom about?” Rey asked, turning to face him.

“Oh, um, nothing,” Ben lied, “Thanks for coming.”

“You kidding? Kay wouldn’t let me forget about it. It’s been hard keeping this a secret the past few weeks.” 

Ben chuckled, “With as much as you talk, I’m sure it was.” 

Rey’s mouth flung open in offense. “I do not talk that much, Solo!” 

_ She’s so cute when she’s angry _ , Ben thought.

“Thanks for coming, Rey,” he said quietly. 

She smiled up at him, and subconsciously took a step closer. She bit her lip nervously before replying, “Of course, Ben.”

Her eyes flashed down at her feet, and even though it was getting dark out, he could see her blush from the lights in the yard. 

“Rey, would you like to-“ Ben began to ask.

He was interrupted by his guests singing the “Happy Birthday” song, and walking towards him with a cake, covered in candles.

Ben groaned,  _ Of course.  _

* * *

_ A few days later… _

It was the first time that Ben and Rey were scheduled to close together since her training shift. It had also been raining most of the day, with threats of bad storms coming in soon.

“Hey, it’s been slow today, so if you wanted to start your closing checklist, and we can leave as soon as we close?” Ben offered, as Rey was reshelving some books.

“Sounds good,” she answered, looking a little on edge. She’d been that way since she’d gotten to work.

“You okay?” he asked, noticing her discomfort.

“I’m not a big fan of storms,” she admitted, shakily.

Ben nodded. He remembered having that fear when he was younger, “It’ll be all right,” he told her reassuringly.

She gave him a small smile and returned to her task.

By the time it reached half an hour before closing, it was starting to storm pretty bad. Their last patron had left almost an hour ago, and they’d completed their closing duties, and were waiting to close the library. 

Ben had the local news and weather pulled up on the front desk computer. He and Rey were watching intensely, and he could sense Rey’s unease, especially when the weatherman started to drop the word  _ tornado. _

“Do we have a safe room?” Rey asked, her voice shaking.

Ben nodded, “Yeah, staff room downstairs. I think I showed you,” he answered. Rey nodded, and turned her gaze back to the news. 

A few minutes later, the newsperson said there was a tornado warning for their county, and the lights started flickering. Rey’s breathing became intense, and Ben was genuinely worried about her. 

“Grab your bag, and let’s head downstairs,” he instructed gently.

She nodded, and reached for her bag under the desk. Ben went to lock the front doors, turned most of the lights off, and led her downstairs to the staff room. It wasn’t used that often, but someone kept it clean about once a week. 

They walked in, and Ben flicked the lights on, while Rey went and sat at the small table. As he sat down across from her, they heard the tornado sirens go off. He noted that they hadn’t had this bad of a storm in a few years. Tornadoes weren’t uncommon, but also rarely came anywhere near their town.

“It’s gonna be alright, Rey,” Ben said, noticing her heightened anxiousness.

Ben set his phone up, in hopes the WiFi would allow him to watch the news down in the basement. When he clicked the live video, all the lights in the room flickered off. Rey gasped loudly, and Ben could see the fear on her face from the light of his phone. He couldn’t get the video to play, so he put the flashlight on and faced his phone up on the table, so there was a decent amount of light in the room.

Rey was on the verge of tears, and Ben could tell.

“Talk to me, Rey,” he said, moving to the seat next to her. 

He took her chin gently in his hands, and turned her to face him. Hoping to distract her, he gently took one of her hands, hoping she wouldn’t later read this as him taking advantage of her.

“Um, I,” she tried to start, “I’m afraid of storms.”

Ben smiled, “I’m afraid of heights.” He confessed, hoping to make her feel better. 

Rey gave him a small smile back, “Why's that?” she asked.

“My dad and uncle took me on a roller coaster when I was barely tall enough to. It got stuck on a high curve, and we were up there for almost an hour. Scarred me for life,” he answered.

Her eyes went wide, and he heard her stifle a laugh, causing Ben to roll his eyes at her response. 

After a few moments of silence, he could see her nervousness creep back onto her face. He silently cursed himself for being a shit conversationalist.

“Ben, can I ask you something?” she asked, looking away from him. 

“Yeah,” he replied. 

Ben watched as she scooted her chair closer to him. Their knees were less than an inch from touching, and he looked up at her, his eyes darting from her lips to her eyes.

“You were about to ask me something at your party. What was it?”

The question took him by surprise. He’d pushed that brief moment out of his mind, embarrassed by missing his shot yet again. But, noticing the situation they were currently in, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to try again.

“Um, that,” he began, “Rey, would you like to maybe go grab dinner sometime?” 

He could see a blush creep onto her cheeks as she smiled. 

“Yes, please. I’d love to,” she replied. 

Ben gladly returned her smile. 

“One more thing,” she said, leaning towards him slightly.

Ben raised his eyebrows, silently asking her to continue, but instead of speaking, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. 

She pulled away shortly, and looked almost embarrassed of her actions. Once Ben realized what had just happened, he leaned in and returned the favor. This time, neither of them pulled away for a few moments.

When they did, the lights in the room flickered back on, and they heard the temperature control units kick back on as well. 

Ben glanced around the room before looking back at Rey.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for that for a while,” he confessed. 

Rey nodded, “Me too.”

Ben leaned in and gave her one more, brief, gentle kiss before standing up. Together, they left the basement and walked up to the main floor of the library.

Once they made it out of the lower level, both their phones went off, finally getting cell service. 

Ben quickly called Maz to let her know they were okay, while Rey texted her friends about what had just happened, not really mentioning the storm.

* * *

_ Less than a year later… _

Rey was visiting Ben, up at Endor State University, just an hour from his hometown of Naboo. 

They were walking around the quad on a cool, early spring evening, post-dinner, celebrating their six months of dating. A fancy envelope was in her bag, Rey hadn't opened it yet because she wanted Ben to be there. 

They stopped at a bench, taking in the last few hours of daylight. “So, I may or may not have exciting news,” Rey said as they sat down.

Ben raised an eyebrow questioningly. Rey bit her lip, a trait of hers he was familiar with, as she pulled the envelope out of her purse. 

“Is that?” Ben asked, noticing the familiar logo of Endor State on the front. 

Rey nodded, “I wanted you to be here,” she said softly, “I already got my general acceptance. But, this is from the School of Music.” 

Ben smiled and gently placed his hand on her knee, “You ready?” he asked. 

She eagerly returned his smile and opened the envelope. Unfolding its contents, and quickly scanning through the words on the page.

“Well?” Ben asked, leaning over to read the contents of the letter. His other hand gently wrapping around her waist.

She looked up at him, a huge smile on her face, “You’re looking at a future Ewok,” she said with a chuckle. 

Ben returned the smile, before kissing her gently. Rey eagerly kissed him back, her hand releasing the letter in her lap. She threaded her hand through his hair, pulling him closer.

“Don’t you have to get home?” he asked, pulling away slightly to catch a breath. 

“It’s getting a little dark,” she said, glancing up at the fading light, “And Hux left for the weekend right?” She gave him a small, suggestive smirk.

He chuckled, “I love you, Rey.” he told her.

Rey stopped, her eyes wide, looking up at him. 

“S-sorry,” he stammered, “Is it too soon?”

She shook her head, her hand gently cupping his cheek. “I love you too, Ben.”

He smiled, a genuine smile, as their lips met again. 

And again.


	3. Epilogue

_ 2 years later… _

Kaydel gave Ben and Rey a huge hug when they walked into their old high school band room. 

It was homecoming, and their band director had invited all Naboo High School band alumni to a special performance for halftime at the football game.

_ Special indeed _ , Ben thought. He shared a knowing glance with some of his older friends while his girlfriend of nearly three years was oblivious. 

After receiving instructions from the director, Rey excused herself to join the color guard to learn the basic routing they were performing later that evening. Ben has been planning this for a long time. Once he'd heard about the event, he got all their friends, even old Mr. Skywalker, in on it.

Hux was working with the drum majors and the band, Kaydel was walking around with a camera, making sure to document all the important moments. Rose was tasked with keeping Rey away while Mr. Skywalker reminded the band of the big plan for the evening. 

A few hours past, and it was almost half-time, and Ben was feeling anxious. 

His hand reached down into his pocket and felt the small box between his fingers. 

_ Three whole years _ , Ben thought. 

They’d dated that entire summer, and kept it up, even when he went away for college. It was just an hour away, nothing they couldn’t handle. It was easier when she was accepted there too after her senior year. He couldn’t imagine spending his life without her by his side. 

“And now a special half-time performance, featuring NHS Fighting Gungan alumni!” the announcer said from up in the viewing booth.

Hux and the other drum majors called the band to attention, and they marched onto the field to the familiar cadence. Both Ben and Rey participated in marching band out in college, but it was nothing compared to their home field. Even better, it was where he’d first seen her, all those years ago.

This planned portion of the performance went well, and Ben enjoyed every second of it. He gazed around, his heart beating even faster as he knew what was coming. He handed his trumpet off to a nearby student, and watched as Hux ascended the head podium, and counted off for a familiar, slow movement. 

Ben saw Rey, in the center of the field. She glanced around confused, as the band parted, while playing the second movement from her senior year show. Rey saw the obnoxious grin on Hux’s face, and saw Kaydel snapping pictures of her. When Kay pointed behind her, Rey turned to see Ben walking towards her as the band played on. 

It took Rey a moment, but she started to pull the pieces together as Ben approached her. 

She could hear a collective murmur from the stands as Ben gently took the flag from her hand, and sat it down on the ground. Once their hands were empty, he took both of her hands in his. 

“Rey Johnson,” he began, “Five years ago, you set foot on this field for the first time. We shared this field, we shared music stands.” He chuckled, recalling sitting beside her during concert season. 

Rey looked up at Ben, tears forming in her eyes, thinking about how much she loved him.

“From working at the library, the day I finally asked you out after the storm,” he continued. The band had stopped playing, and all eyes were on them. “When you told me you loved me, for the first time. And every time after that, I knew I wanted to share my forever with you.”

Rey’s hand flew to her chest, as Ben lowered himself to one knee. He dug in his pocket for the small box, and opened it to reveal a simple gold band, decorated with small diamonds. 

“Join me, Rey,” he said, “Will you marry me?”

Rey didn’t even try to hold back her tears as she nodded excitedly, and managed to whisper a  _ yes _ .

Ben grinned as he stood up, and slid the ring onto her finger. They heard cheering from all around them, but all Rey cared about was the love of her life as he wrapped his arms around her, and placed a loving kiss on her lips. 

“I love you, Benjamin,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear. 

Rey placed her hand gently on his cheek, and they heard a loud  _ CLICK _ up close. They knew Kaydel had gotten a good shot of this moment. But they knew that they wouldn’t need a picture to remember this moment. Because neither of them cared for anything in that moment, but each other. 

He kissed her again before replying, “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for following along this little story! I made me miss my years in marching band :(
> 
> I'm currently nearing the end of my Twitter text fic, if that's your thing, @marajaderen1 over on Twitter!
> 
> Also, give @reylo_prompts a follow while you're there, it's where I got the idea for this fic! :)


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